Device for cleaning lawns, yards, and the like



March 6, 1934. w. M. GUEDEL DEVICE FOR CLEANING LAWNS, YARDS, AND THELIKE Filed Sept. 19, 1931 INVENTOR.

A TTO NE YS Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT DEVICE FORCLEANING LAWNS, YARDS, AND THE LIKE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for use in cleaning leaves, papersand other light dbris from lawns, hard dirt or gravel yards, concretewalks, driveways and the like, the present application being acontinuation-in-part of my pending application Serial No. 548,589, filedJuly 3, 1931.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a device capableof removing such dbris from an area to be cleaned, quickly andeffectively, with a minimum expenditure of time and efiort and water,and which will, at the same time, not only eliminate the raising of dustsuch as is occasioned by raking or other similar means usually employedfor the purpose, but will actually settle the dust.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which may beused with facility and to proper advantage without requiring stooping orbending.

According to this invention the above objects are attained by utilizingthe sweeping action of a stream or jet of fluid, such as water,delivered laterally over the surface to be cleaned and close to suchsurface, and providing means whereby the operator may rotate the streamor jet about a substantially vertical axis so as to cover a considerablearea with such sweeping action, and may also tilt the stream or jetabout a substantially horizontal axis so as to vary the angle betweenthe stream or jet and the ground or other surface to be cleaned, withouthaving to stoop and while remaining substantially erect.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device adapted todeliver a stream or jet of fluid in the above described manner andhaving means for adjusting the height of said stream or jet with respectto the ground level, adjacent the point such stream or jet is dischargedfrom the device.

The device of this invention comprises essentially a verticallyelongated supporting member adapted to pivotally engage or rest upon theground, fluid discharge means rigidly connected to said supportingmember and projecting laterally therefrom a short distance above thepoint of engagement thereof with the ground and in a directionapproximately horizontal or slightly inclined from the horizontal andpreferably provided with nozzle means at the outer end thereof,operating handle means rigidly secured to said vertically elongatedsupporting member and disposed at a suitable height to be convenientlygrasped by the hand of a person standing substantially erect, and afluid conduit connected to said fluid discharge means. The device isfurther preferably provided with means for vertical adjustment of saidfluid discharge means with respect to the ground level and the devicepreferably further comprises means for detachable connection to asuitable fluid supply means, such as a hose.

The detachable connecting means for connection of the fluid conduit tothe supply means may be provided adjacent the upper portion of thesupporting member, in which case the fluid conduit may extend downwardlywithin the supporting member itself, from said detachable connectingmeans to the fluid discharge means. In an alternative construction, thedetachable connecting means may be provided adjacent the lower 7 part ofthe device, for example adjacent the pointof connection of the fluiddischarge means to the supporting member, and in this case the fluidconduit may comprise only a short lateral tubular portion connectingsaid detachable connecting means to said fluid discharge means.

The supporting member may be of any one of a number of shapes, and anyone of a number of shapes or types of nozzle means may also be employed.The essential features of the apparatus and the modifications which maybe made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention maybe better understood by reference to the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a top view of the same;

Fig. 4 is a view of the lower end of a modified b form of supportingmember;

Fig. 5 is a similar view of an alternative form of supporting member;

Fig. 6 is a front view of the lower end of one form of the invention,provided with an alternative form of nozzle means;

The apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, comprises a supportingmember 1, fluid discharge means 2 provided with outlet nozzle 3 at theouter end thereof, upwardly extending tubular handle means 4, lyingalongside the supporting member 4 and slidably secured thereto in anysuitable manner as, for example, by means of loops 5 secured to orformed integrally with the supporting member 1 and slidably engaging thehandle means 4, one of said loops 5 being provided with a set screw orthumb screw 6 whereby said handle may be positioned at any desiredelevation with respect to the supporting member. The apparatus furthercomprises a fluid conduit 7 Nil within said handle means, and detachableconnecting means 8 at the upper end of said handle means.

The supporting member is shown as comprising a somewhat pointedelongated rod whose pointed lower end 9 is adapted to rest upon or beinserted in the ground. Various modifications, however, may be made inthe shape of the lower end of this supporting member. For example, asshown in Fig. 4, the lower end may be provided with a blunt enlargement9 adapted to rest upon the ground, or as shown in Fig. 5, the lower endof the supporting member may be provided with a wheel 11 of smalldiameter, rotatably mounted on a shaft or pivot stud 12 secured to themember 1, the axis of shaft or stud preferably lying substantiallyparallel to the direction of discharge of liquid from the nozzle (notshown) so that the wheel may properly resist the thrust resulting fromthe change in direction of the flow of liquid through the conduit '7 outthe discharge opening.

The fluid discharge means 2 may be as shown, formed as the lower end ofthe tubular handle means bent outwardly somewhat sharply, as shown, theoutlet nozzle 3 being threadedly secured to the outer end thereof asshown at 14. The tubular discharge means 2 may extend in a directionapproximately perpendicular to the length of the tubular handle means 4,although I have found that good results are obtained by inclining saiddischarge means slightly downwardly, say from 5 to 15, from thisperpendicular position, so that when the handle means and the supportingmember are in vertical position the discharge tube is inclined slightlydownward toward its outer end. The length of said discharge tube may bevaried as desired but may, for example, be from 2 to 6 inches, dependentupon the particular type of nozzle used, though such length may bevaried considerably from these dimensions.

The tubular handle means is provided at its upper end with a bent-overportion 13 on the outer end of which is disposed the detachableconnecting means 8. The portion 13 is preferably so bent so as to extendlaterally at the opposite side of said handle means from the dischargemeans 2, so that as a person grasps this laterally projecting portion 13and holds the device in position in front of him, the general directionof the discharge tube 2 will be away from the person. The length, H2, ofthe handle means is preferably such that it may be coveniently graspedby a person standing erect, such length being, for example, from 2 to 3feet. If desired, the portion 13 may be provided with valve means 15 forturning on and off, and regulating, the flow of fluid therethrough.

The nozzle 3 at the outer end of the discharge tube 2 may be anysuitable size and shape in order to deliver the desired shape or type offluid jet. For example, the nozzle may have an horizontally elongatedopening as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, or may be provided with an openingof substantially circular cross-section, such as that shown at 3a inFig. 6.

In this form of invention the interior passage of the tubular handle 4provides the main fluid conduit 7 which communicates at its lower endwith the discharge means 2, and the detachable connecting means 8 ispreferably adapted to provide connection of the apparatus to any desired fluid supply means such as a garden hose or the like whereby theapparatus may be moved from place to place in use.

In the operation of the above described form of device, the couplingmeans 8 is connected to a garden hose or other suitable fluid supplymeans and the operator grasps the device by the upper part of the handlemeans at the portion 13, and, if desired, the end portion of the hoseconnected thereto. The supporting member 1 is then placed with the lowerend portion 9 in contact with the ground and a supply of fluid to thedevice is established, causing a jet of water or other fluid to bedelivered through the outlet nozzle. The height of the jet above theground may then be adjusted by loosening the thumb-screw 6 and slidingthe handle means upwardly or downwardly along the supporting member 1,and then tightening said screw. This height, indicated at I-I1.ispreferably variable from a point substantially level with the ground toa point 6 or 7 inches above the ground. The height of the jet may thusbe adjusted to suit different conditions of operation, such as varyinglength of grass, when used for cleaning lawns.

The device may then be easily rotated about a substantially verticalaxis passing through the point of pivotal engagement of the supportingmember with the ground and substantially parallel with the handle means,so as to cause the fluid jet to swing through any desired horizontalangle. The vertical axis aforesaid lies substantially along or closelyadjacent the tubular handie 4, providing a very easy manual turningmotion of the device.

The device may also be tilted to any desired position about asubstantially horizontal axis passing through the point of engagement ofthe supporting member with the ground, for example, to a position suchas indicated in dotted lines at A in Fig. 1, so as to vary theinclination of the discharge tube 2 with respect to the surface of theground.

The fluid jet thus delivered over the surface of the ground serves veryeffectively to remove or carry away any leaves, papers, dirt or otherlight debris accumulated thereon. The device may therefore be used togood advantage in place of a rake or the like for removing or gatheringsuch debris, and forms a very efficient tool for cleaning lawns, yards,concrete driveways and the like. Particular advantages of the device arethat it does not require continual stooping or kneeling of the operatorin order to apply the fluid jet close to and substantially parallel withthe surface of the ground as is desirable for most effective cleaningpurposes, and that when water or other liquid is used in the operationthereof, it tends to settle any dust present on the accumulated debrisor on the surface of the ground rather than raising such dust andcausing the same to be distributed into the atmosphere as is the casewhen a rake is used for a similar purpose.

When the device is provided with a supporting member having a lowerportion of the type illustrated in Fig. 5, operation of the device is ingeneral similar to that above described, the

wheel 11, however, having an added function.

Said wheel permits the device to be rolled along the ground duringoperation thereof, for example, the device may be rolled along theground or along one side of an area to be cleaned, while delivering afluid jet over such area in a direc- Pill of the device about its pointof engagement with the ground to produce the sweeping action abovedescribed.

I claim:

1. A device for cleaning lawns, yards and the like, comprising avertically elongated supporting member adapted to pivotally engage theground, tubular handle means slidably secured to said supporting memberand adapted for vertical movement with respect thereto, a tubular fluiddischarge member secured to the lower end of said tubular handle andprojecting laterally therefrom, said tubular handle extending upwardlyfrom said discharge member to approximately the height of a mans handabove the ground when standiig erect, said tubular handle being providedat its upper end with means for connection to fluid supply means and theinterior of said tubular handle communicating at its lower end with saidfluid discharge member.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1, said tubular handle being providedat its upper end with a portion projecting laterally therefrom in adirection opposite to the direction of lateral projection of saidtubular discharge member.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1, said supporting means being adaptedto engage the ground at a point lying substantially on the prolongationof the axis of said tubular handle means. WALTER M. GUEDEL.

